by Christopher Mostué and Joel Payne
Vinmonopolet has posted a slight lift in sales volumes for the first six months of this year. On 16 July 2007, the Norwegian alcohol retail monopoly said that total sales at its stores in the first half of 2007 were up by 4.4%
on the corresponding period the year before. Sales reached 32.9m litres, driven in part by a 4% lift in table wine sales, to 26.7m litres.
Spirits also contributed to the climb, with a 6.3% rise resulting in sales of 5.5m litres. While beer produced a less impressive increase, up 1.9% to 0.18m litres. Fortified wine slipped by 2.5% to 0.44m litres.
Earlier this year, the company warned that the early Easter this year, which fell in March compared to April last year, had hit sales in April.
Vinmonopolet came into being in 1996 after the retail and wholesale alcohol monopoly was split following the country's entry into the European Economic Area two years earlier.
